Whiteboard
by MeLikesROFL
Summary: When given a blank slate to start off with, what would you do? Well, screw destiny and The Plot. This is my story. AU-ish. SI/OC
1. Chapter 1

..._Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

The sound echoed throughout my head, calming my disoriented self.

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

...My head is still spinning. Where am I?

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump_.

I shifted around slowly, trying to get a sense of my surroundings. It's a comfortable temperature at least, so hopefully wherever I'm in isn't a really bad place. I hope.

After waiting for a few moments more for something to happen, I got bored. Finally having enough of the darkness, I tried to open my eyes.

Tried, mind you.

Eh? I can't open them? What's happening?

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

...Huh? There are other sounds now?

Suddenly, it hurt.

Like, really really suffocating kind of hurt. _Ouch_.

I squirmed, trying to escape whatever hellhole I somehow ended up in. Sadly, my body did not really respond to my already overdriven brain.

Come on gal! Motivate yourself! Don't die by being squished here!

And my all too helpful brain provided a rather detailed hypothetical 'squished like a bug' state for me.

Wow, thanks man. Thanks.

This is indeed Great Motivation. _Thanks._

Doubling my still futile efforts, I squirmed even more. All of a sudden, something burst. I can feel cool air coming in somewhere near my head, causing relief to flood through my system.

Even louder noises can be heard now, although I still can't make out what the muffled noises are. Some kind of liquid is moving around me, making squelching noises that frankly, sounds rather ew.

Feeling something blocking my path, I desperately shifted the obstacle away. To be frank, it was practically a miracle the obscenely huge and near-immovable obstacle actually did shift away from the cool windy area - _my freedom!_

Don't ask me how it happened. It just did. (I was secretly praying that the god of fate was laughing too hard to notice or something)

Then, something grabbed my leg/arm (I can't really tell) and_ pulled_.

Sharp blinding pain engulfed me for a moment and suddenly, everything felt crisp, clear and cold.

I gave a loud, piercing noise of disapproval, squirming and making as much of a fuss as I can. I got picked up and dried, soon enough. But alarm bells are rapidly ringing in my head.

Brrr. Cold. I hate the cold. And am having a rather bad feeling that I'm naked. Sense of privacy, anyone?

...Maybe that warm hellhole was better. Hey! It was at least warm and comfy. Until the squishing happened…

Nevermind. I'm being wrapped in something warm and snuggly now…

And my ears are being cleaned. It actually feels really nice.

...But how did I get picked up so easily? The last I checked, I weighed almost 48kg…

I sighed. As some fictional character would say,_ troublesome._

"Congratulations, its a baby girl!" Someone spoke.

I froze.

...what?

I got transferred from one body heat to another rather quickly, held closer to laboured breathings.

"..A-ah, that's okay. She's h-healthy right? My baby girl..." The woman I'm near lovingly muttered.

W-What?! I'm… The last I remembered, I am a 26 year old Japanese volunteer nurse! Oh god, what happened?

Suddenly, she spasmed and let out a loud wail. I got taken from her arms and was put gently on something soft.

A few loud screams and plenty of encouraging voices later, another shrill scream was heard.

This one, sounded distinctly infant-like. _Like mine._

I ignored the mental voice and focused on trying to open my eyes. Come on, it can't be that hard!

And so it wasn't.

I fluttered open my eyes, but I couldn't see anything. It's not that I'm blind or something, but everything is just so blur! Colours I can tell, but no definite shape or edges around anything I can see in my vision.

And this is way worse than when I had to wear my reading glasses, I mused.

But, I'm a baby, according to them.

A baby.

_BABY._

And my mental faculties promptly shut down.

When in doubt, and delusional, don't do anything. Don't even think.

Yawning, I let my eyelids slowly droop over. This body is really, really weak. And practically hormonal. That's saying something as a female that personally experienced puberty.

Cooing, the woman picked me up again, cradling me close to her chest. Leaning closer, I saw something blue on her other side that did not move so much.

"Congratulations your Ladyship, a boy and a girl. The dragon and phoenix pair is sure to bring great honour to our Clan." Someone, probably the midwife, excitedly stated.

...Fraternal twins, eh?

Well, I'm in for the long ride….

It's not like a have a choice anyway. Sigh.

Finally, I let my (new) body's instincts take over. G'nite…

~.~.~.~

"a..aaa" I yawned sleepily. Blinking my eyes open, I was momentarily hit with confusion again.

Since when is my eyesight so suckish? I was never shortsighted. Or live in a place with so much wood.

Huh? I craned my neck to the side, trying to flip myself up.

...And I failed. Miserably.

Ah, damn. What's with me today? First a horrible dream about being hit by lightning and becoming a baby and and-

Wait.

Baby?

I experimentally stretched myself, only to find my motor functions grossly inadequate.

...Eh? It wasn't a dream after all?

Tears welled in my eyes. Ma, Pa, where am I?

Sniffling, I tried badly to control my tears. Ultimately, they still leaked out. I sobbed softly, looking out to the golden yellow skies beyond the doors.

Where am I? Where is this place? I want to go home!

Gradually, my sobs floated throughout the room, drawing the attention of my adult companion.

Someone padded over softly, cuddling me in her arms, cooing. "Hush hush dear, its alright. Are you hungry? Mama's going to feed you now."

To my surprise and eternal shame, she did. Imagine having an adult's mind in an infant's body that needs breastfeeding. I'm sure you can guess the rest.

After burping me and checking my diapers (the horror!), she slowly rocked me and sung a soothing lullaby that I never heard before. I admit, her voice is really, really gentle and calm, tempting me to sleep away my worries once more.

My emotions warred within me, namely guilt, apprehension, worry and a small, miniscule amount of excitement. Excitement at being an entirely new person, with no one to judge you.

But I rapidly squashed it. Worry won this round.

Her long black hair wasn't put up this time, so I could smell the jasmine fragrance from them. Hesitantly, I shyly looked up, curious about this woman I was born to. Curiosity will kill the cat, as some might say.

...I hate my new eyesight, have I ever told you that? Or at least, an infant's eyesight.

But it was then I noticed her hair actually looked slightly bluish, although it is rather dark and hard to notice. I slowly moved my hand over, trying to bring some strands closer to take a look.

Noticing my actions, 'Mama' laughed softly, bringing me closer to her face. Then I saw her eyes.

Shocked, I stilled.

My 'Mama's eyes were black. As in pure, charcoal black, that kind. Medical information roughly swarmed in my head, telling me the probability of such things actually happening stood a chance of-

Ouch.

My head spun again, most likely from information overload. Wow, apparently it seems true that a baby's mind really can't hold much thought at once.

Seeing as I actually stopped moving in her arms, she worryingly shifted me around, walking across the room. I snapped out of my pain induced daze, and gave her a slight smile. At this, she calmed considerably and smiled back.

Feeling slightly guilty at causing her worry, I silently promised myself not to give her trouble. After all, I still have an adult's consciousness so I can keep myself out of trouble as much as I can. Like not crying over spilt milk and the likes.

As I mentally laughed at myself for the stupid joke, 'Mama' left the room and sat on the porch.

"Nozomi. It's a beautiful name, ne Nozomi-chan?"

Curious, I turned to face her once more. Seeing as she had my attention again, she smiled widely.

"You're a sister now Nozomi-chan. Take care of Itachi-chan when Tou-chan and I are not around, kay?" She hummed.

Itachi? Itachi, Itachi, that name sounds familiar, where have I heard it before? Not everyday do you hear of someone being called Itachi.

Just then, 'Mama' stood up from the porch, walking into one of the nearby rooms.

My eyes took awhile to adjust to the different lighting, before focusing on the small cot I'm being carried towards.

'Mama' gently placed me beside a warm sky blue blanket and tucked me in with a pink one. Wondering, I inched closer to the shifting blankie, only to suddenly stare straight at the face of a sleeping baby clad in white pyjamas.

...I have to admit, seeing tear troughs on a baby's face is kinda creepy, no matter how small they seem to be right now. Chances are the troughs will become quite deep and prominent on their faces once they grow older.

But still, so cute! My little brother (because there is no other possibility) was drooling at the side of his mouth, sucking his thumb. Now that, is the entire picture of innocence.

Someone entered the room then, causing 'Mama' to spin around sharply to face the intruder.

Picking my baby brother in her arms, 'Mama' sighed worriedly. "So how is he?"

"He's fine, nothing wrong, the healer said. Just that they only need to monitor him for a few more weeks to give the all clear." The man grunted.

"That's great. Ne, Itachi?" 'Mama' cooed. "Say hello to Papa?"

The man grunted again, but I think I saw his face morph into a smile. Or maybe it was a trick of the light. Blame my eyesight.

As he turned to leave, the red and white thing on his back caught my eye. I suppose it was the coincidental angle or something, because I could finally make out the shape.

_Uchiwa._

A red and white uchiwa emblazoned on the man's back. Just like the lanterns hanging outside.

Uchiwa. Itachi. My brother.

Itachi Uchiwa?

Just then, everything _clicked_.

Oh. OH.

I'm the twin sister of _Uchiha-fucking-Itachi!_

Oh god, my life is so screwed. As if dying once is not enough.

Sad to say, I immediately fainted upon reaching the conclusion.

Definitely not one of my proudest moments.

* * *

A/n: Well, I was rather bored so...

Yeah, came up with this. Creative constipation, plus the uniqueness of this is just too hard to resist. Slow development, otherwise where's the fun?


	2. Chapter 2

Played around with this idea in my head for awhile. Seemed fun, so I continued. Rejoice, people!

Warning: Spoilers. You can choose to skim through hehe.

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I really don't think I have to say this. But for courtesies sake... Refer to the first 3 words.

* * *

Chapter 2

As dawn broke over the horizon, a new day begun in the Uchiha households in Konohagakure no Sato. In most of them, it is as uneventful and_ boring_ as ever. But not so much in the case of one of them.

Or more specifically, in the case of one baby.

On the surface, everything seems fine. But then again, how many people can actually testify that they have perfectly fine memories of another life, albeit in a slightly different world?

Namely, one with lots of technology and weapons, plus no ninja or chakra.

Did I mention chakra?

Yeah, you heard me.

_Chakra._

The miracle, magical, life-giving substance that all the inhabitants of this world has. A vital lack thereof is nearly fatal, namely from chakra exhaustion.

Want to die? _Chakra depletion_.

Well, I morbidly mused, considering that even if once upon a long long time ago people here didn't have chakra, they are now born with it and hence cause their bodies to grow so dependant on it to survive. Thus literally can't live without it. Chakra is like probably the most potent drug _ever_. With it, you get high and maybe even use it to throw around those flashy jutsus for ninjas. And you can never cure that addiction. Or you die trying. Even for civilians.

Giggling to myself in the crib, I continued to stare at the dark wooden ceiling, making all sorts of funny faces in the process. Even though most of my old personality remained, the (literal) baby-ish mind does influence my behaviour.

And damn, it is irritating, And hell funny if you think about it.

Like staring at the walls and making up shapes in my mind. Then suddenly thinking about how cute my toes are compared to bunnies.

...Oh god, I'm not going insane am I?

I sincerely hope not.

Back to the point, if chakra is a drug, and it was actually artificially introduced to humans at some point by the Sage of Six Paths, then how did their bodies start producing them naturally in the end?

Hmm… food for thought.

Being not a complete and utter Naruto-tard, I only briefly chased through the manga. Aka. there are PLENTY of things I have absolutely no idea about.

Thinking about naturally occurring chakra…

I closed my eyes briefly, wondering if I can sense what my own chakra feels like. So many Naruto fans on forums and blogs all commented that our world probably don't have chakra or something so if we ever happen to be in Naruto-verse then WHAM! Some sort of auto ability to sense chakra. Cool right?

Calming my breathing, I attempted to lull my body into a meditative state. Considering that it took me 6 tries to succeed in an infantile body, I probably have a talent for becoming a monk. Maybe.

No, seriously, a baby's body is constantly so hyper-aware when not sleepy (oh yes, the irony), it is so difficult to calm down at all.

Turns out?

...No, dude. I seriously don't know. I don't even feel all that different!

Nope, yadda, nothing. Zilch.

I don't know what chakra feels like, how do I know how to find it at all? Sighing, I mentally noted what my body felt like, taking careful note of all the pudgy and soft fingers and toes through wiggling.

Well… I agree with my inner baby on this one. Even if I can't see them all that clearly, they are cute, honestly speaking.

...Forget it. I'm just being influenced by the baby, sadly.

Speaking of which, Itachi's my twin baby brother.

Itachi.

Brother.

Me.

How does that even fit in the same sentence?!

~.~

_Flashback_

_"You're a big sister now Nozomi-chan. Take care of Itachi-chan when Tou-chan and I are not around, kay?"_

_~.~_

Oh. I'm a big sister. Yayyyy-

…wait a minute. Wasn't Itachi the Clan Heir as well? How did they even determine the position in the first place?

Oh gosh. Oh gosh. I mentally flailed. Outwardly I stoned. But my eye twitched. Alot. No wonder people blame Uchiha's for their lack of facial expression. It's almost a genetic thing, I swear!

Breathe in. Breathe out. Rinse and repeat.

Breathe-

-It's not working. Sigh. Forget it.

I pouted, silently cursing the gods above for my newfound fate. Seriously, why me? I hate being pressurised and that's why I refused to take on the full time nursing job instead of the volunteer one. And besides, how did Itachi get kicked from the older brother position? It simply does not happen. He is _Itachi_, 'nouf said.

...Oh wait. I think I know.

Back then, in the womb of suffocation (horrible name, but meh.) something actually blocked me from being birthed first. Now that I think about it, the ONLY 'obstacle' that could possibly be is…

Crap.

I just had to be born first, didn't I?

...I totally asked for it. Even prayed that the gods were laughing. And laugh they did.

Sighing forlornly, I pulled my face into a frown. That was… unexpected to say in the least. Right now, I'm Uchiha Nozomi, older twin sister of Uchiha Itachi, and probable sister of Uchiha Sasuke, from the Uchiha Clan of Konohagakure no Sato, daughter to Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, Clan Head and Matriarch respectively.

And technically, I'm the older sister of two genius shinobis in their own right. One who single-handedly murdered his entire clan save one overnight to prevent a civil war and the other who has potential to surpass Madara, another supposedly genius Uchiha shinobi that rose to the top of elites. Wow, no pressure or expectations. _Right…_

So what do I do now? I carefully mused the thought in my mind. The sun just rose, and 'breakfast' time for us won't happen till a few hours later. Or until Itachi-chan cries for food.

Technicalities. Technicalities...

Well… Older-Itachi massacred the Uchiha Clan to prevent a civil war outbreak in the Leaf, and because he loved the Village more than the ideals of the Clan. Sasuke rose up the ranks chasing his brother for the first half, but stood on his own feet in the end. But with a shitload of mental trauma in between.

And boy, that is plain _creepy_ to think about.

So what do I do? Even till this day, living with (one of) them now, I still feel that they don't deserve the lives they had led in canon. Itachi's a good guy. Sasuke is just a traumatised kid. Both had derogatory lives that no one should ever willingly live through, even if Itachi forced himself to.

Sigh. Just thinking about the sacrifices he made just makes me so damn sad.

Poor Itachi-chan. Well, I'll just have to wing it. And be the best sister ever!

Turning my neck, I faced the sleeping baby. His expression was so peaceful, it was simply too hard to imagine him as nothing more than a mass murderer, unlike what many of Konoha's citizens eventually did after the massacre.

My eyes hardened. But first, the Uchiha Clan's elders need a hell lot of convincing as to why the Village is just as important as the Clan.

...Then again, the future isn't fixed...right?

Itachi gurgled while asleep, bringing my attention to the drool on his face again. I stared. His cheeks were so chubby with baby fat and so... CUTE!

…it's really pathetic that I'm distracted so easily.

Sighing, I turned my thoughts away from the sadder parts.

It's not time yet. At least it is still peaceful enough, so why not enjoy it while we can?

With that leftover thought, I snuggled up close to him once more, our shared body heat lulling me into deep slumber yet again.

Can't blame me, it's just too damn comfy.

Unknown to the two of us, Mikoto eventually came in upon this scene and smiled. Fishing out a camera, a photo was taken.

~.~.~.~

3rd Person's POV

Uchiha Nozomi, at first sight, looks like a typical female Uchiha. She's quiet, somewhat docile but with a backbone of steel when under pressure. And at the same time, she's nothing like the norm.

At 7 months old, she was brought into the 85th Clan meeting since the start of Sandaime Hokage's rule by Mikoto-sama, dressed in a light green hoodie and quiet but curious as all babies are. The glint in her eyes was the only clue otherwise.

As the council settled into the meeting, Uchiha Tatsuya, the Clan's financial advisor, started on the state of the Uchiha finances and produce being not up to par with before the entire Kyuubi mess. Elder Sei nodded while complaining that her old bones will not allow her to sit on the tatami mat today, so would Elder Tsuji please shove his wrinkly old butt off the only raised stool in the room. Naturally, as the stuck up bastard he is, he refused to budge. Both elders started to give crappy reasons about old bones and rather insensitive descendants, each remark getting progressively louder till hoarse arguments were flying loudly across the room.

As the two elders continued to squabble in coarse voices, one of the younger clansmen coughed politely before raising the issue of the new produce that is expected to enter Konoha's market in a couple of days' time. Elder Sei paused momentarily, before adding his two cents to arbitrarily raise their own produce prices. Elder Tsuji disagreed and some of the other clansmen backed him.

And from there, the meeting descended into a mess of complaints, whines and curses before being silenced by a downright creepy glare by the Clan Matriarch herself, holding her daughter's ears closed tightly.

Fugaku glowered. No one was really taking him as Clan Head that seriously since he was newly appointed. Furthermore, the shouting mess will soon descend into a brawl from the look of things.

Meanwhile, Nozomi blinked, tilting her head to the side before smirking as much as a baby could. She wriggled slightly, until Mikoto let her off. Proceeding to crawl right to the middle of the room, she tugged on Elder Tsuji's pants. When he eventually looked down, she gave a toothy smile before scrunching up her face while sitting on his leg.

And pooped.

Stunned, no one moved. Little Nozomi then lifted her arms in the universal 'carry me' gesture to the nearby Mikoto, saying "Stinky oyaji!" with gusto. Albeit with less accurate pronunciation but still understood just as well.

Fugaku's jaw dropped. Mikoto looked faintly amused. The other clan elders were bristling in their seats and the rest of the council were speechless.

The tension was broken. People were scrambling out of the small enclosed room even before Fugaku could give an official dismissal as the smell permeated. In spite of the chaotic scramble for fresher air, Fugaku proudly carried his daughter back to their house, not minding the soiled clothes and even gave her one of his own extremely rare affectionate hugs.

Her first word. First two, actually. And she helped to diffuse a situation he could not solve since two weeks prior.

What a genius little girl he has!

~.~.~.~

Normal POV

Back home, I sat upright in the high stool left near the counter after being cleaned. Mikoto was busy preparing some stuff and is taking quite a long while. With nothing to occupy my already short attention span, I zoned out.

Did you know the Main house in the Uchiha district is at least one and a half times bigger than other clan houses within the compound? Seriously. And considering that a typical clan house itself is like the size of 2 to 3 basketball courts…

Woah.

It still ceases to amaze me to no end. And that reminds me, my eyesight is finally improving! Yay!

I no longer have to squint to make out the details of the stuff I see and oh boy, this is awesome.

Apparently, due to our inherited kekkai genkai, the Sharingan, as Mum explained to me a few days prior, Uchihas are all naturally born with perfect eyesight. And usually with an affinity to be able to track moving things and see clearly even in long distances.

Okay, not _very_ far, but I can now easily make out a person's face from like 4 houses away. Without the Sharingan. Cool right?

Ah, ah, back to the point. Apparently, it's now lunchtime.

Which means….mushed apple porridge!

Ew. I hate porridge.

As I scrunched up my face in disgust, Mikoto tutted, waving the spoon in front of me. "Nozomi-chan! You'd better eat. This apple is good for you!"

I shook my head. No, I was not eating rice that was over cooked in water. In fact, any other form of rice is preferable. But seriously, who eats fruit with porridge?

And no, tomatoes don't count. (To the future Sasuke. Hehehe...)

I continued to furiously shake my head, denying Mikoto the opportunity to stuff the abominable thing into my mouth. Eventually, Mikoto just sat and stared at me, putting the spoon back into the bowl before folding her hands on her lap. I noticed, and stared right back.

She sighed forlornly. "Nozomi-chan, it's just apple porridge, why don't you want to eat it? There really isn't much I can feed you yet since your teething only just started."

Damn. Stupid teething.

Silently dragging my tongue over my gums and three little baby tooths, I mentally cursed all whom gave babies _toothaches_.

Yes. Toothaches. Ever wondered why babies and toddlers like to chew and bite onto stuff even when they're not hungry? That's because Mother Nature decided to introduce the arrival of teeth by making it _itchy_. Ever had a persistent mosquito follow you around giving love bites? Imagine that happening in your mouth. Hence I say toothache.

Owwie. I mentally cursed in all the other languages I know of.

"Nozomi-chan, please eat your porridge." Mikoto drooped her eyes sadly, immediately making my guilt flare up.

Oh right. First time parents who are learning to deal with fussy toddler behavior. And I'm definitely not making it any easier for them. Oops.

...at least I didn't throw a temper.

…

...

...Dammit, how can a fully grown adult pull off puppy eyes?! I'm supposed to be the one doing it here!

Silently cursing my luck, I opened my mouth wide. And I swear, Mikoto's eyes _sparkled_ as she fed me that dreaded apple smelling yellowish gloop.

* * *

**lotrhpfan1234** – Yeah I know, my English suck. In school I always get marked down for grammar, even until now… so yeah! Feel free to criticise the horrible language and hopefully tell me the corrections for where I went wrong. I need all the help I can get hahaha…

**Juliedoo** – Woah thanks! I'll be continuing this and hopefully my other stories (maybe) but it really depends on whether the plot hits me. I tend to jump around ideas really fast, but I can't pace my story that way since I'm planning to write a series, not a one-shot. That's why my updates, if any, are rather infrequent and the chapter length will vary at times. But I still hope that you guys will continue to read and support them! Thanks for taking the time off to review this anyway!

**Giselle Satomi** – Haha yeah, that's one of the reasons why I came up with this fic in the first place. Plus after reading the manga, watching the anime and read a ton of both crappy and decent fanfictions, I just felt like I had to do the poor guy some justice ya know? Plus it kinda helped that I'm somewhat of an Itachi fangirl.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Exams caught up to me and I barely scraped by. Like just_ barely_. And I have major exams next year so I can't afford to sit, plot and muse to type out a nice ten k word count for a chapter either. Oh well, I suppose this is still better than nothing though. Ciao!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi people! Here's chapter 3! Finally clunked out enough time to get the plotting and typing into a cohesive structure and flow. I blame my brain from being sleep deprived since last year.

Oh, school, can you feel my love? (Feel it._ FEEL_.)

Okay, back on track. Here's the next chapter.

Warning: There might be some spoilers. And discretionary language. This is a slightly more plain chapter to cover the content.

Disclaimer: Naruto's still not mine. I'm glad. I don't have to be personally wary of copyright infringements. Yay.

Editted.

A/N: Okay, so just to clarify some facts and stuff Kishimotroll didn't fully explain in Naruto gaiden:

**1.** **No one specified WHEN Kyuubi was sealed into Kushina**. (the loophole I exploited)

**2.** The dynamics between the Uchiha and the villagers BEFORE Kyuubi attacked was not clear.

**3.** Kishimotroll did not fully flesh out Mikoto and Fugaku's behavior/characteristics - so I'm taking my own stand here. Same goes with the rest of the clan and the Military Police in general

**4.** He never specified where in Konoha the original Uchiha compound was before they were walled away AFTER the Kyuubi attack in the year that the Konoha Rookies were born.

Hope this clears some things up! I'm gonna follow canon for now but since there are sooooo many unexplained stuff... well, I am the author of my own story after all~

- So yes, in this story, Kyuubi is not sealed... **yet**. In case you didn't note (a lot of the reviews), right now the timeline is BEFORE Naruto was born (around 4-5 years). Aka. it is unknown in canon if Kushina is already the Kyuubi Jinchuriki as her seal for the Nine tails was not the Shiki Fujin - so it could have been sealed into her just before/after she met Minato.

- Yes, this is AU-ish, but not right now. I'm just fleshing out the background of the characters that was not explored in actual canon. Hope the confusion clears!

* * *

Chapter 3

Itachi... is a good boy.

There really is no other word for it.

And no Tobi, you are nowhere close to the Uchiha prodigy.

But still, this is all really confusing.

At the nice round number of 8 months old, Itachi finally started making cohesive babbles like any other normal babies. Given that I obviously need a measuring stick to mark my 'developmental progress', there is absolutely no way I could follow Itachi's speed of comprehension even at this age, although his physical reactions tend to be accurate enough for myself to emulate.

Remembering how the Uchiha genius was so stressed out and eventually forced to make the ultimate decision - to choose between his family, his village, or his personal love in the manga, there was absolutely no way I wanted to be labeled as a prodigy. No fucking way.

And I used to pride myself on having slightly better than average intelligence in my own world.

Even so, at 8 months my little brother's leaps and bounds of deduction by pure logic alone squished that thought. Humble much?

Like when Mikoto points at a picture or object while explaining the meaning of it, he never gets confused or forgets.

Damn, it really is pretty demoralising to know that someone younger than you is already miles ahead in that aspect. I couldn't resist pouting at that thought.

Every time after dinner, Mikoto would coo and lift both of us into her lap, settling down comfortably on the quilt that she lay on the tatami mats. Fugaku as usual, would grunt and act strict, but the proud and loving gaze he always had on such occasions always gave him away.

Well, ever since I managed to 'talk' to that irritating old codger (he TOTALLY deserves it), Mikoto has been trying to get me to speak or babble more.

And me, being stubborn and with a sadistic streak just as wide as a certain baby hitman's, refused.

Yes, I'm really that naughty. But they don't ever suspect that I'm doing it on purpose. After all, who in the right mind will ever suspect a toddler to be capable of perfectly rational thought and still defy logic. Nyehhhhhh~

At most I just made more random noises and drooled when I wanted something. That's also pretty effective. Believe me I tried.

As always, Mikoto would start off by speaking in short and simple sentences to Fugaku, to emulate us into speaking by following their footsteps, which I could obviously comprehend decently enough even with their slightly different usage of Japanese. It's almost like a dialect version, but as I was a native, the nuances are slightly easier for me to pick apart.

There's the verb structure and terminology for different scenarios, for example, that are different from what I learnt in a 21st century school. But other than that, its all pretty much the same, so I really had to keep myself from reacting at times when Mikoto actually decided to crack a crude joke or two to her husband.

And well, since I _was_ old enough to understand...

*Ahem* I ducked my head, trying to hide my grin and rapidly reddening face.

Dammit. How am I not gonna draw suspicions from them, seriously?

Trying very hard to put on my well practiced poker face for such scenarios, I avoided all eye contact with the adults in the room, choosing to squeeze closer to Itachi instead.

Itachi, the little kid just turned his wide curious eyes at me, causing me to inwardly squeal.

Mikoto drilled that into me long ago: Uchiha girls do not squeal out loud if they can avoid it. We must maintain the impression of not being fangirls even if we are secretly one. Clan pride.

And yes, so here I am, cuddling with my number one idol with all the toddler strength I can muster to express my happiness at my new situation.

Plus since we're twins, no one can fault us at this age to seek company with each other ALL THE TIME right?...

*chuckles evilly inside*

Itachi, the poor kid was probably confused over my actions since I wasn't a really physical person most of the time, so he babbled "nee chwan?" while tilting his head in a very adorable manner.

I promptly looked up from his shoulder and hugged around his neck, mushing my face in his hair.

SO CUTE. I'M ABOUT TO DIE FROM FLUFF.

Our parents finally noticed our situation, when Itachi, in all his innocent confusion of not knowing how to react mumbled "Nee-chan okay?" loud enough for them to hear while wrapping himself around me.

Bless that little guy, he's just too damn nice.

Even at that age, you can sorta tell the person he would probably be from his actions alone. Every gesture he makes is pretty much calculated to bring a person comfort and probably keep them happy, so he never resisted when it was bath or changing diaper time. Or when he was fed something that he didn't like.

Mikoto always mutters under her breath "I think their genders were switched or something. Aren't girls supposed to be good and docile while the boys are making trouble?"

Me, being her little hellion as opposed to Itachi the fluffy angel, heard that comment and promptly promised myself to drag my otouto into whatever shit situations I get into. I swear.

Mikoto finally huffed, cracking a smile when she realised I was totally fine, just pouting at the both of them for interrupting my 'cuddle-time' with my favourite person. Fugaku smoothly grabbed a book from the bookshelf at the far back before giving a slight cough, proceeding to do our nightly readings.

Well, given that my language isn't really up to par here (on a native's viewpoint), I definitely need to learn, plus the fact that I still don't know if the writing is even the same since I didn't really have much of an opportunity to view the written literature. Still seated comfortably in Mikoto's lap with Itachi, we sat up attentively, hanging on to every word from his lips that wove the web of an illusionary world around us.

When Fugaku finally closed the book, signalling the end of storytime, we were rather sleepy and gave a couple of yawns.

Smiling tenderly, our parents each picked us up and promptly carted us back into our nursery room that they recently converted into a more spartan outlook because of that one time I slipped out of the crib and crawled right into Mikoto on the veranda outside, giving her a huge shock. Oops?

Now it is rather sparsely decorated, with barely any furniture save for one bookshelf (stuffed with blankets and clothes rather than books) and a couple of futons with cushions laid together on the floor, according to Mikoto's wise theory: if they are already on the floor, how can they possibly fall?

I agree. Since I can now freely cuddle with Itachi as I am no longer being obstructed.

Giving a huge jaw-breaking yawn, I mashed my face into Mikoto's shoulder, too tired to even move anymore. Being at my current physical age means that you need sleep for around half a day. And being cuddled so protectively in a warm environment... man, life's awesome.

My mind just then traitorously supplied, whispering the devil words into my head.

_'But you'll never know when you'll lose them all, with the Massacre still ahead...'_

~.~.~

...Why is life so unfair?

Pouting under my white hoodie, I clenched my fists tightly into Fugaku's brown overcoat. Now's late autumn, nearing winter and the weather is still turning colder and colder. As a result, they are readjusting the guard detail around the districts and are changing shifts more often in preparation for the upcoming change in seasons. Scarfs and cotton paded jackets are starting to be distributed around the entire compound, as part of the pre-existing directive to provide for all Clan inhabitants, regardless of income size. No wonder the Uchiha clansmen are so loyal to everyone in the clan.

And since Fugaku is Clan Head and I'm pretty much the Heir...

I shivered. The chilly air out in the open at night is not fun. As an annual tradition, the Clan Head has to organise the latest batch of winter articles to be distributed to all households, while I'm supposed to 'watch and learn' as he goes about it once my physique is strong enough not to catch a cold almost immediately in open air.

At nearly midnight.

Smart people, smart.

The warm orange glow from the doorway tantalised my eyes, drawing me to the homely scene happening. Craning my neck beyond Fugaku's head as he carried me away from the doorstep, I stared longingly at what I wish was happening to me.

Damn, I'm jealous.

Itachi is currently cozing under the kotatsu with Mikoto while being fed one of the Clan district's famous red bean soup from Setsumo-san's stall since he technically has no 'duties', that lucky little guy.

But nooooo.

I'm out here, stuck in the cold air and sniffling pathetically with my poor, frozen nose. I decided to sneeze.

Finally taking notice of my shriveled, depressed figure, Fugaku shifted me around his arms, turning me to face him. "What's the matter Nozomi-chan?"

I still tried to keep line of sight with what I want most right then.

Following my distracted gaze, he huffed. "Huh. You can have the red bean soup later. I reserved an entire steaming pot for you, so you can eat as much as you want even if Itachi finishes that bowl."

Oh, I see. He likes me more.

"And besides, this is good experience for you to learn to manage the Clan and to do your duties well. After all, with all these lessons, my awesome daughter will do her daddy proud one day right?"

Dammit. I did not ask for this. Why am I here to suffer? _Why?_ I thought despairingly.

Too preoccupied with my own thoughts, I did not notice my torturer slowly walk towards the nearby pond. Nor see him take a bowl of water until its too late.

_Splash!_

"Eeeeep!" I jumped.

I glared morosely. Fugaku gave the patented Uchiha smirk.

"Learn to not ignore your elders oh daughter of mine."

Screw you.

As I pouted, Fugaku swung me up onto his shoulder and continuing to walk around the compound, chatting lightly with the random passerby's after waving away each and every one of them from bowing every single time as tradition precedes.

Dammit. Not only am I cold, but dripping wet as well. Stupid ninja child-rearing techniques.

As I continued to shiver miserably near his head, my teeth chattering in the cold wind, I pressed myself tightly to him, feeling some of the cold water leak into his shirt and back.

Ha! Eat that!

Yep, I'm a vindictive bitch at this point in time.

Finally taking pity on me, he took a towel hanging on the clothes line near us and handed a towel to me before setting me on the ground to make sure I dry myself properly. When I was finally done, he simply put the towel where it belonged before lifting me again, intent on finishing his rounds. Still having an adult's perspective, I immediately understood his motive and felt worry for him.

He was quite literally tricked into being the Uchiha clan head, as the previous one was a batty old codger very few could understand. From what I had heard so far, the previous clan head on his death bed simply mumbled in gibberish before pointing a wrinkled finger at Fugaku.

"I choose you to be my successor."

And then he offed. Just like that.

Needless to say, as most Uchiha elders are uptight bastards with unmentionable things shoved so far up their asses since a millennia ago, they simply could not accept the old codger's choice, citing that 'he was not right in his head the whole time anyway'.

Fugaku, in a fit of inspiration, spoke "and as we all know, Honourable Elders, you were the ones to elect him at the start anyway, as he was not from the Main family in the past." His voice echoed clearly in the room, shutting the mouth of the rather vehemently disagreeing elders who curled their lips in distaste.

With no further prerogative, Fugaku was officially elected and instated as Clan Head the very next day.

He proudly lifted me in the air, grinning triumphantly at one-upping those old bats that simply refused to die and make way for fresher blood. His words, not mine.

Yes, I am rather proud of you daddy. Now I can claim I inherited my wit from someone.

But, it is precisely because of his... weird election, some of the older clansmen and elders did not see him fit to rule as Head. These people tend to passively sabotage Fugaku decision making for Clan matters and bringing the overall success of campaigns down, but never actively or in public.

The Uchiha Clan is one that strongly instills Clan pride and a sense of belonging among its members, teaching children from young to be as loyal to the Clan as you are to the Village as one of the noble founding Clans of Konoha since Shodai Hokage's time.

And it would not do if outsiders do not see the Clan as one cohesive unit, strong to any challenge or issue they face, would it?

...Wow, the propaganda is even getting to me.

But still, all these setbacks are really affecting Fugaku's capacity to act as a leader, which will also be bad in the long run. As his own counter, he decided to personally visit all the homes and families of the Clan in 'unofficial' capacity to interact with the other branches and boost the overall morale of the clansmen and at the same time, raise his own popularity.

Or you could say, testing the waters. Hey, _ninja_. Known to be sneaky sneaky for a reason. Or as Kakashi would say? 'Always look underneath the underneath'.

And at look what I found.

In the Uchiha clan itself, getting to recieve the Head personally in your house is like on the equivalent 'wow' factor like getting a visit from the Hokage himself for just tea. Saying that many were over the moon is inadequate a description.

So far, its all good, seeing as we had just rounded the 47th house and there was genuine approval in the inhabitants thus far.

...Okay, this is plain irritating. I'm_ bored._

I wriggled vehemently in Fugaku's arms, insistent on being let down to run about. As if against my thoughts, he gripped me even tighter, though not enough to hurt. Fugaku may look and sound mean to some, but he's really just a big softie inside. Just like Post-Massacre Itachi.

Hm. Maybe it actually does run in the family?

Being the awesome toddler I am, I threw a silent temper that Fugaku totally ignored, gripping his clothes tightly in my fists as he carried me in front on one hand. He's probably too used to my antics by now, though he chuckled for a bit. As we approached the main entrance guard sentries, they gave a low bow while murmuring "Fugaku-sama. Nozomi-sama. What can we do for you?"

My ears perked up at this. The guard sentries were always the last to be visited as per tradition. Which means I can go back to my warm, comfy bed reallyyyyy soon. Dad or not, he'd not deprive me of my comfort zone.

Fugaku offhandedly waved away their concern, slowly bringing up a small chat with them. Being ever the power worshipers, they more than happily complied, speaking in rapid fire Japanese that I barely caught in their twisted dialect. Wisps of the conversation floated past me as I tuned it out, finding it too dry for my tastes.

...Hang on a sec. I heard something about Kyuubi?

Wasn't the Kyuubi released to attack Konoha AFTER Sasuke was born?

Huh?!

Turning my shocked face towards them, my eyes widened almost comically in disbelief as the adults continued to chat away, seemingly having not seen my expression.

"The Fox went near Taki a couple of days ago. I heard it crushed a third of their village flat."

"Ain't that close? That beast was so close to Suna less than a few months ago! I heard its chakra ended up killing hell lot of crops and farmers on the way there, so there was a bit of an issue in the marketplace since all the vendors practically drove their prices up!"

"Hn. The Hokage curtailed the issue long before it rose too much anyway." Fugaku grunted.

"Yeah, but those ryō could be better spent ya know..."

Finally snapping out of my shock, I calmed down.

Oh. So that's what they meant by 'the entire Kyuubi mess' at the council. But it still doesn't really make sense, now that I think about it. What happened?...

Cracking a yawn, I snuggled closer to Fugaku's chest, slowly falling into a daze. Really sleepy now that I had gotten so worked up...

I ended up falling asleep on the cold autumn night while preoccupied with thought, cuddled softly in my father's warm embrace. By the time the adults finally noticed something, they all cracked soft smiles and ended the conversation. Little Uchiha-hime needs to go back home to sleep eh?

...At the end of it I didn't get my red bean soup after all. It was finished by the time I woke up dammit!

* * *

**Juliedoo** - Yeah, I know right! I wish it would happen to me too... And honestly, the pooping part was something I wrote on a whim. I was rushing to finish that chapter since I left you guys hanging for soooo long. I do apologise, but unlike those awesome writers I just can't crank out my ideas into the storyline that fast, even though I want to. But there are moments when my brain runs off a tandem and it just...pops out. Like poop. Kay, shutting up now.

**Raven the Kitsune Bard84** - Haha thanks for the compliment! It's been a _long_ time since I last wrote a freestyle narrative, so my language skills are getting even rustier than before. Hope you guys can still bear with me since I don't even know how to find a beta. Oops. First time writer...sorta. *Runs and hides behind an imaginary wall*

**fellow** - Yeah sure! Thanks for reviewing too!

**ElectraSev5n** - Oh. *Goggle eyes* Woah thanks! It's like the first fic I wrote that managed to take flight. The other one...meh. If you wanna check out more OC/SI stories, I have put many of such Naruto's fics under my favourites, so you can take a look or refer to those communities available on fanfiction. I do pray that this soars. Whee!

**Shannyrox101** - Hehehe... with your heads up, I decided to put the warning in place for future references to all possible new readers of Whiteboard. And good luck for your exams! I used up almost all of mine the last round so I can't give you anything substantial hahaha... And thanks for the review! I try! (the funny moments are mostly random, so it may/may not happen again in future chapters. Oh well.)

**Sin of the Fallen** - Oh thanks! Sure, sure, I'll keep writing. Have a piece of mind in that, even if I decide not to update in a long while. National exams, ya know? ...Dammit. I should probably turn off the comp and start studying again. Sigh.

**chaosrin** - Meh, not really. Just like how some people have some personality quirks, I decided to give my story's characters their own personality. Honestly, canon did not touch much on the Uchiha clan in detail, most especially how they react to random situations. You could say that I'm trying to be creative here and add a bit of spice, after all, I did state that this story will be diverging slightly from canon - even if it may not be that obvious at times. Well, if you still need some clarifications please do feel free to post them and I'll try to address them either in my next reply to the reviews or in the actual story itself. As for Kushina... well, I can't really say anything yet. We'll see how it goes first. No promises!

**Zana20** - Hehe thanks! I actually am a total amateur at writing fanfictions though, so there are bound to be screw ups and weird humour. Bear with me though!

**Guest** - Hi, this is my update *laughs* I'm just really slow and unmotivated at times, because I have snappy bits of plot that is quite hard to flesh out since I'm writing from a 'unique' standpoint.

**tyog56** - Hehe thanks!~

**LooksxxxFool** - Hope you enjoyed it!

* * *

A/N: I like putting notes. Hope I managed to link parts and bits and pieces of the previous chapter, since I proofread it again and found some plot-holes that were begging to be fixed. No one noticed it so far?...

Sorry for the slow update, but honestly speaking, next year is gonna be even worse for me. It is like the most academically important year of my life so far... But I'll still keep track on Fanfiction, so I'll lurk around the site every now and then. Give me plot ideas if you want, and I'll see if I can fit them in! Especially the ROFL ones. *wink*

Okay, so I was horrendously bored from the repetitive tandem of studies and holiday homework due in a couple of days...

Oh well. See ya next time!

Oh yes. Happy new year people! I have posted this at 00:00 1st Jan 2014 at my time.


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